This invention is related to a system for operating a plurality of electric power generation plants and a method for arranging the system in a central control room.
In the prior art, process data of a plurality of power generation plants indicating current state of the plants are sent to a central controller in a central control room, where operators monitor such process data and control those plants based on the process data. The process data may include steam or water temperatures, pressures and power generation rate of each generation plants.
Patent Abstract of Japan Publication Number 11296206 (Tokkai-hei-11-296206), discloses a central controller for monitoring and controlling a plurality of generation plants. In the disclosed system, the operators at the central controller monitor and operate the plurality of generation units in the central control room.
The central controller may have a plurality of monitor-controllers allocated to the plurality of power plants. Thus, the operators in the central control room may have to monitor and operate a plurality of monitor-controllers at the same time. Besides, the relation between the monitor-controllers and the power plants may be changed depending on the operation phases of the power plants. For example, a power plant in start-up phase may require three monitor-controllers because many process data must be monitored and controlled, while a power plant in normal operation phase may require only one monitor-controller because less process data may be enough for that operation phase. Therefore, the operators may confuse a monitor-controller corresponding to a power plant with another monitor-controller corresponding to another power plant.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved system for controlling a plurality of power generation plants preventing the confusion of the monitor-controllers corresponding to a plurality of the power plants.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved method for arranging, in a central control room, a system for controlling a plurality of power generation plants preventing the confusion of the monitor-controllers corresponding to a plurality of the power plants.
There has been provided, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a system for controlling a plurality of power generation plants. The system comprises at least three display-input means for displaying process data of the power plants and for inputting signals for operating the power plants based on the displayed process data, and the display-input means are disposed in a central control room. The system also comprises allocation means for allocating at least one of the display-input means to each one of the power generation plants, based on operation phases of the power generation plants. The system also comprises moving means for moving at least one of the display-input means so that a plurality of groups of the display-input means are formed, and the display-input means of a same group are arranged closer to each other than the display-input means of different groups.
There has also been provided, in accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for arranging, in a central control room, a system for controlling a plurality of power generation plants. The method comprises a step of allocating at least one display-input means to each one of the power generation plants, based on operation conditions of the power generation plants. The method also comprises a step of moving at least one display-input means so that a plurality of groups of display-input means are formed in a central control room, and the display-input means of a same group be arranged closer to each other than the display-input means of different groups. The method also comprises, subsequent to the moving step, a step of fixing the at least one display-input means.